The big day!!
An early wake up call, before 6, it's still dark and certainly very cold -8 or 10 degrees c.
We head off after the normal porridge and eggs breakfast, it's twilight, cold and windy. You really have to make sure that all your clothing and kit is on properly fitted, all buttoned & velcro'd up. You don't want to stop to sort anything it out it's tooooooo cold, brrrrrrrrrr!
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| The sun hasn't fully risen yet & we're off trekking! |
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| Sherpa Dorje & great young man, like all the sherpas helpful & considerate - even he's feeling the cold |
There's another Dorje - Dorjee Pemba Sherpa, who holds the Guinness book of records for the fastest ascent of Everest in 8 hours 10 minutes, in May 2004. He has summited 8 times (maybe more now). He also guided 76 year old Minbahadur Sherchan to everest summit (he was 77 when he returned) - there's a chance for me yet!!
This is a 3-4 hour trek to Gorak Shep, surprise surprise, it's uphill; even worse we're walking into the wind. Never mind it's all a case of positive attitude, when I'm struggling to walk, I get my inspiration thinking of my friend Sue, who is suffering from motor nueron disease; in comparison I've got nothing to worry about.
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| See how the wind has shifted the snow |
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| Just a bit desolate |
The first section of the trail follows the glacial moraine & the mountain wall, to the right the Khumbu Glacier gurgles & moans under a blanket of ground up rocks.
We reach Gorak Shep (5160m) for lunch, it's a remote spot, but it has a huge telephone antenna with a large array of solar panels - just to help with the communications during the main climbing season. This was the base camp for the 1952 Swiss Everest expedition.
We repack our day packs and set off again after lunch for our trek up to base camp, a further 3 hour trek with a 200m altitude gain and of course 3 hours back. Hilly to start with, flattening off after an hour
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| You can see that it's still cold, even now, early afternoon |
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| Even the sherpas have more layers of clothes than I've seen them with before |
We're now walking on the Khumbu Glacier, which has a couple of inches of snow in places.
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| Look at those incredible ice formations on the mountains. The rocks in the foreground - some as big as houses- have been churned around in the glacier |
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| More views of the glacier |
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| Even more!! |
We plod on and on, the sky is still clear and it would be warm without the biting wind. In some places it is like a lunar landscape, unlike anything I've seen before.
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| Another rest stop |
Lets just stop to get some oxygen into the lungs
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| The winds on the summit probably 80-100mph |
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| Up & up & up |
Some places walking onthe glacier, your foot falls through a crack in the ice, luckily only a few inches deep, unlike the real icefall beyond base camp where they can be 20' deep!
There weren't many trekkers at this time of the year, but later in the year as they build up to the big climbs it gets a lot busier.
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| Ice seracs in the glacier |
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| The last section over the glacier |
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| Seraks near base camp |
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| We've made it |
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| Next best thing to a sherpa on the mountain is a welshman. Proudly flying the Welsh flag, Richard, Phil & Steve |
Lots of hugs and hand shakes, tears and laughter. We read some letters and messages from friends & family at home. A very emotional climax to the days trek.
A little Everest picnic and then the trek back to Gorak Shep, another 2-21/2 hours. We probably walked for 12 hours that day
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| Still magnificent sights on the return walk |
A day to remember for the rest of my life.
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